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March 15 is the maintenance/corrections deadline for the fiscal 2018 Second Quarter Veteran Workforce Summary Reports (Dec. 1 – Feb. 28). Copies of the quarterly reports will be sent via electronic file transfer (EFT) on March 16.

The online quarterly report acknowledgment form (with required complaint reporting included) will be available March 16 and must be submitted by March 23.

Check the Forms page or appropriate topic page on FMX before submitting a form to ensure you submit the current version. Previously downloaded forms or stored links may be outdated.

The Forms page is available at the top of all FMX pages. Forms can be sorted alphabetically, numerically or by topic. Also, FMX topic pages such as Appropriations or Payment Services feature links to related forms.

Payments of $600 or more for services or interest during a calendar year to a non-corporate payee must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service on Form 1099-Miscellaneous (MISC) or Form 1099-Interest Income (INT).

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR).

Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 31. See the Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division.

Due to inclement weather, the Comptroller’s office will be closed on Jan. 16, 2018. Agencies can check FMX or call (512) 475-0510 after 12:00 p.m. to confirm if warrants are available for distribution.

On days the Comptroller’s office is closed but warrant pickup is available, your authorized representative must have photo identification and a cell phone to call (512) 475-0510 upon arrival at the LBJ building if no guard is present.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education.

If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 31.

The maximum state mileage reimbursement rate for state employee travel in a personal vehicle will increase from 53.5 cents to 54.5 cents per mile, effective Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018. This rate is consistent with the Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage rate.

Note: State agencies may adopt an internal policy for a rate that is lower than the maximum rate; however, the agency must distribute the internal policy before their employees begin any travel under the lower rate.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit effective settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

State and federal holidays with no scheduled USAS cycle that are listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar are excluded when determining the direct deposit settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to ensure benefit cost payments are proportional to the agency or institution’s method of finance, unless another legal provision prohibits proportionality.

Benefits Proportional by Method of Finance Reports and related adjustments are due Nov. 19.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to ensure benefit cost payments are proportional to the agency or institution’s Method of Finance, unless another legal provision prohibits proportionality.

Benefits Proportional by Method of Finance Reports and related adjustments are due Nov. 19.

The transaction entry screens in USAS and CAPPS allow state agencies and institutions of higher education to enter payment-related information in the invoice number and description fields.

Under no circumstances should agencies and institutions enter confidential or sensitive information such as complete or partial Social Security numbers or information covered by theProtected Health Information Prohibition.

Several Accounting Policy Statements (APSs) have been updated through acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session. The APSs include changes to terminology, policies, procedures and transaction coding blocks.

Each APS should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with the most current policies and procedures.

The 2018 General Services Administration (GSA) rates are effective Oct. 1 and are now available online. For Sept. 1 – 30, the standard lodging rate for all locations not listed on the GSA will be $91. Effective Oct.1, the standard lodging rate increases to $93. The maximum daily meal reimbursement rate for in-state and out-of-state locations not listed on the GSA remains $51.

Many state agencies and institutions have been called on to assist Texas citizens who have suffered losses due to Hurricane Harvey. Governor Abbott has issued several proclamations to provide relief to those affected. See the governor’s website for more information on how these proclamations may affect your agency’s business.

Several Accounting Policy Statements (APSs) have been updated through acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session. The APSs include changes to terminology, policies, procedures and transaction coding blocks.

Each APS should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with the most current policies and procedures.

The monthly Outstanding Warrants Control Report (DAFR8171) is generated on the first Friday of every month. Agencies are reminded to monitor their report, especially during the summer months, before warrants become void on Aug. 31.

The Outstanding Warrant Report (DAFR8161) is a requestable report via the online Report Request Profile, USAS 91 screen and includes two special select options.

SPEC SEL 1: Provides an outstanding warrant report by payee number in ascending order. To select this report, enter V on the 91 screen. To ensure all outstanding warrants are listed for all payees, the SPEC SEL 2 field must be blank.

SPEC SEL 2: Provides an outstanding warrant report for specific dollar amount thresholds and lists warrants in descending order by dollar amount. To select this report, enter values A–D on the 91 screen as follows:

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller's office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 31.

Effective May 5, access to making changes in the APPROPRIATED FUND, GAAP FUND and GAAP FUND TYPE fields on the USAS D23 screen is limited to central user classes only. This ensures all financial table balances are reported properly and reduces the corrective actions and agency coordination required when these fields are changed.

State agencies and institutions of higher education may need to send documents to Fiscal Management that contain confidential information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, direct deposit instructions, net pay and Texas identification numbers that include Social Security numbers.

Email is not considered a secured transmission, and confidential information should not be sent in the body of an email. Provide an encrypted attachment for any confidential information as prescribed by your agency’s Information Security Office. Passwords should be provided in a separate email or over the phone. Fax transmission is also acceptable.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education.

If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 31.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ ability to accurately distinguish confidential and non-confidential payments is critical in making payment information promptly available to the public. State agencies and institutions of higher education must ensure that confidential transactions are properly marked to protect payee confidentiality as stipulated by USAS and CAPPS Confidentiality Indicator (FPP E.045).

Under state law, it is the responsibility of the agency or institution submitting a transaction to determine the confidentiality of the transaction. Transactions are legally considered public unless specifically excluded by the Public Information Act. When an agency or institution marks a transaction confidential, they should be prepared to cite the law or attorney general opinion that excludes the payment from public disclosure.

Check the Forms page or appropriate topic page on FMX before submitting a form to ensure you submit the current version. Previously downloaded forms or stored links may be outdated.

The Forms page is always available from the top drop-down menu bar. Forms can be filtered by topic, browsed alphabetically or numerically. Topic pages such as Appropriations or Payment Services feature a forms subheading with a link to forms on that topic.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 31.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 31.

The maximum state mileage reimbursement rate for state employee travel in a personal vehicle will decrease from 54.0 cents to 53.5 cents per mile, effective Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017. This rate is consistent with the Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage rate.

Note: State agencies may adopt an internal policy for a rate that is lower than the maximum rate; however, the agency must distribute the internal policy before their employees begin any travel.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit effective settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 is a banking holiday, observed by the Federal Reserve and most financial institutions.

According to state law, Jan. 2 is considered the first working day following the December 2016 pay period, making it pay day.

As a result, payroll warrants will be dated Jan. 2, 2017. While direct deposit payments will be transmitted to financial institutions before and with the payment date of Jan. 2, those institutions are not required to post payments on the banking holiday. Consequently, some employees’ funds may not be available until Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Supplemental direct deposit payrolls and regular vendor (bills) payments will also be affected. Payments that process through USAS and payrolls that process through USPS and SPRS/CAPPS on Thursday, Dec. 29, will be transmitted with a payment date of Jan. 2. Consequently, employees’ and payees’ funds may not be available until Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Employees and payees with direct deposit should check with their financial institutions to confirm when their funds will be available. This is especially important if the employee or vendor has established automatic withdrawals on Jan. 2.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to include a link to the Comptroller’s Where the Money Goes expenditure database on their websites. The URL for the database and visual tools have changed with the rebuild of Comptroller.Texas.Gov.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit effective settlement date of a payment.

When financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest. This includes Columbus Day (Oct. 10).

The transaction entry screens in USAS and CAPPS allow state agencies and institutions of higher education to enter payment-related information in the invoice number and description fields.

Under no circumstances should agencies and institutions enter confidential or sensitive information such as complete or partial Social Security numbers or information covered by the Protected Health Information Prohibition.

The 2017 General Services Administration (GSA) rates are effective Oct. 1 and are now available online. Please note that the standard lodging rate for out-of-state locations not listed on the GSA has increased to $91. However, the General Appropriations Act (GAA) limits lodging reimbursement for non-listed in-state locations to $85. The maximum daily meal reimbursement rate for in-state and out-of-state locations not listed on the GSA remains at $51.

The interest rate the state pays on a late payment due to a vendor under the state’s prompt payment law will be 4.50 percent for fiscal 2017. The interest calculation is one percentage point higher than the prime rate published in the Wall Street Journal on the first business day of July.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 27.

The National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers’ (NASACT) Middle Management Conference will be held April 12–14 in Austin. Texas state government employees are invited to attend. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and State Auditor’s Office are co-hosts for this event.

Who should attend: emerging leaders in state government financial management, auditing and training

Registration Deadline: April 1, 2016

CPE Credits: 20 (recommended)

Cost: $425.00

For detailed information, see the conference flyer and the NASACT website. If you have additional questions, contact Rob Coleman, Conference Co-Chair, at (512) 463-7630.

The National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers’ (NASACT) Middle Management Conference will be held April 12–14 in Austin. Texas state government employees are invited to attend. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and State Auditor’s Office are co-hosts for this event.

Who should attend: emerging leaders in state government financial management, auditing and training

Registration Deadline: April 1, 2016

CPE Credits: 20 (recommended)

Cost: $425.00

For detailed information, see the conference flyer and the NASACT website. If you have additional questions, contact Rob Coleman, Conference Co-Chair, at (512) 463-7630.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ ability to accurately distinguish confidential and non-confidential payments is critical in making payment information promptly available to the public. State agencies and institutions of higher education must ensure that confidential transactions are properly marked to protect payee confidentiality as stipulated by USAS and CAPPS Confidentiality Indicator (FPP E.045).

Under state law, it is the responsibility of the agency submitting a transaction to determine the confidentiality of the transaction. Transactions are legally considered public unless specifically excluded by the Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552). When an agency marks a transaction confidential, the agency should be prepared to cite the law or attorney general opinion that excludes the payment from public disclosure.

Do you need to submit a form to Fiscal Management? Visit the Forms page or appropriate topic page on FMX to ensure you submit the current version.

The Forms page is always available from the top drop-down menu bar. Forms can be filtered by topic or browsed alphabetically or numerically. Topic pages such as Appropriations
or Payment Services feature a forms subheading with a link to forms on that topic.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 27.

See the Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more information, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division (UP) and the list of agencies with unclaimed funds. UP will mail claim forms to the financial representatives of agencies on the list by Jan. 29.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Currently held property will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 27.

See the Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more information, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division (UP) and the list of agencies with unclaimed funds. UP will mail claim forms to the financial representatives of agencies on the list by Jan. 29.

The maximum state mileage reimbursement rate for state employee travel in a personal vehicle will decrease from 57.5 cents to 54 cents, effective Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016. This rate is consistent with the Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage rate.

Note: State agencies may adopt an internal policy for a rate that is lower than the maximum rate; however, the agency must distribute the internal policy before their employees begin any travel.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit effective settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

Note: Do not submit USAS or TINS files on holidays when no cycle runs. Files sent on a holiday will be overwritten by files submitted after the holiday.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit effective settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

Note: Do not submit USAS or TINS files on holidays when no cycle runs. Files sent on a holiday will be overwritten by files submitted after the holiday.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts statewide financial systems will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. For additional details, see the Systems topic page.

State and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays Calendar with no scheduled USAS cycle are excluded when determining the direct deposit settlement date of a payment.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must exclude these dates when determining when to process their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

Note: Do not submit USAS or TINS files on holidays when no cycle runs. Files sent on a holiday will be overwritten by files submitted after the holiday.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to ensure payments of benefit costs are proportional to the agency’s or institution’s funding from appropriated funds, unless another legal provision prohibits proportionality.

Benefits Proportional by Fund Reports and related adjustments are due Nov. 19.

Agencies and institutions funded with a single appropriated fund must submit a letter confirming this status by Nov. 19.

Please complete our online survey to let us know if our automated tools and statewide financial systems are meeting your expectations. The survey is available now until close of business Friday, Oct. 30. We appreciate your feedback.

The Comptroller’s office operates several financial systems to maintain the central accounting records of the state, perform accounting activities and prepare payroll and other warrants. In addition, the agency has developed several automated tools to help state agencies and institutions of higher education with their accounting and reporting tasks.

Let us know how these automated tools and statewide financial systems are meeting your expectations by taking a few minutes to complete our online survey. The survey is available now until close of business Friday, Oct. 30. We appreciate your feedback.

Under no circumstances should agencies and institutions enter confidential or sensitive information such as complete or partial Social Security numbers or information covered by theProtected Health Information Prohibition.

Data items described in Business and Commerce Code, Section 521.002 must not be entered into a field not specifically created for that information unless explicitly allowed by Comptroller policy. Disallowed data includes:

Several Accounting Policy Statements (APSs) have been updated through acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session. The APSs include changes to terminology, policies, procedures and transaction coding blocks. Some APSs have been updated to include information applicable to CAPPS.

Each APS should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with the most current policies and procedures.

Several Accounting Policy Statements (APSs) have been updated through acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session. The APSs include changes to terminology, policies, procedures and transaction coding blocks. Some APSs have been updated to include information applicable to CAPPS.

Each APS should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with the most current policies and procedures.

Several Accounting Policy Statements (APSs) have been updated through acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session. The APSs include changes to terminology, policies, procedures and transaction coding blocks. Some APSs have been updated to include information applicable to CAPPS.

Each APS should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with the most current policies and procedures.

The interest rate the state pays on a late payment due a vendor under the state’s prompt payment law will be 4.25 percent for fiscal 2016. The interest calculation is one percentage point higher than the prime rate published in the Wall Street Journal on the first business day of July.

For more information, see Interest Rate under the Prompt Payment tab in eXpendit (FPP I.005).

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Property currently being held will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 29.

See the Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more information, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division (UP). All state agencies or institutions of higher education with unclaimed funds were notified as of March 31, 2015.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts offers two new Where the Money Goes tools that make it easier for the public to find and analyze payments made by state agencies and institutions of higher education.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ ability to accurately distinguish confidential and non-confidential payments is critical in making payment information promptly available to the public. State agencies and institutions of higher education must ensure that confidential transactions are properly marked to protect payee confidentiality as stipulated by USAS Confidential Indicator (FPP E.045).

Under state law, it is the responsibility of the agency submitting a transaction to determine the confidentiality of the transaction. Transactions are legally considered public unless specifically excluded by the Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552). When an agency marks a transaction confidential, the agency should be prepared to cite the law or attorney general opinion that excludes the payment from public disclosure.

Do you need to submit a form to Fiscal Management? To ensure you always use a current form, download it at the time you need it from either the Forms page or the appropriate topic page on FMX.

The Forms page is always available from the top drop-down menu bar. Forms can be filtered by topic or browsed alphabetically or numerically. Topic pages such as Appropriations
or Payment Services feature a forms subheading with a link to forms on that topic.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Property currently being held will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 29.

See the Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more information, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division (UP) and the list of agencies and institutions with unclaimed funds. UP will mail claim forms to the financial representatives of agencies on the list by Jan. 31.

Training Center, the online registration system for Fiscal Management training, has been updated to reflect the email domain change to a texas.gov address for affected agencies.

You must use your new texas.gov email address to sign in to register for a class or access your training certificates and transcripts. Your password or other account information has not changed. The Training Center sign-in page identifies the affected agencies.

Unclaimed property turned over to the state includes property that may belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. If agencies and institutions do not claim property after an annual notification, the Comptroller’s office deposits the money into unappropriated General Revenue (GR). Property currently being held will be swept into GR if not claimed by May 29.

See the Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more information, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division (UP) and the list of agencies and institutions with unclaimed funds. UP will mail claim forms to the financial representatives of agencies on the list by Jan. 31.

In keeping with the Texas Department of Information Resources’ request for agencies to adopt the texas.gov Web and email extensions, the Comptroller of Public Accounts announces the following changes:

Website Update and URL

The Window on State Government website has a refreshed look with a new name and URL: Comptroller.Texas.Gov. Links to Window URLs will continue to work due to automatic redirects.

Note: FMX has not been affected at this time.

Email Addresses

The Comptroller’s office is phasing a new style for staff email addresses during 2015: firstname.lastname @cpa.texas.gov. Either Jane.Doe @cpa.state.tx.us or @cpa.texas.gov will work for the time being.